Caleb Folan

Football player infobox
playername = Caleb Folan


fullname = Caleb Colman Folan
nickname = Raging Bull
height = height|ft=6|in=2
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1982|10|26|df=yes
cityofbirth = Leeds
countryofbirth = England
Nationality = Irishcurrentclub = Hull City
clubnumber = 18
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs = Leeds United
years = 2001-2003
2001
2001
2003-2007
2007
2007-
clubs = Leeds United
→ Rushden & Diamonds (loan)
→ Hull City (loan)
Chesterfield
Wigan Athletic
Hull City
caps(goals) = 000 0(0)
006 0(0)
001 0(0)
102 (15)
015 0(2)
035 0(9)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate = 21:31, 5 October 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate =

Caleb Colman Folan (born 26 October 1982 in Leeds, England) is an English-born Irish footballer, currently playing for Hull City.

He qualifies for the Republic of Ireland national football team through his grandfather, who was from Inis Mór, and his grandmother, from Galway.

Club career

Folan started his professional career at hometown club Leeds United, spending brief spells on loan at Rushden & Diamonds and Hull City before making a permanent move to Chesterfield.

In April 2006 he underwent a cartilage operation on a recurring knee injury .cite news
title = Folan undergoes cartilage surgery
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chesterfield/4951874.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2006-04-27
accessdate = 2007-08-04] In October 2006 he scored the winner against West Ham United in Chesterfield's League Cup victorycite news
title = Chesterfield 2-1 West Ham
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/6072626.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2006-10-24
accessdate = 2007-08-04] and also signed a one-year contract extension.cite news
title = Folan agrees one-year extension
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chesterfield/6103968.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2006-10-31
accessdate = 2007-08-04]

After a series of impressive performances for Chesterfield, Folan was linked with a January transfer to Premiership side Wigan Athletic, and on 26 January 2007 he completed the move, signing a three-and-a-half year deal, with Wigan manager Paul Jewell stating: "He's strong, he's aggressive, he's got a finisher's instinct and I think he will add competition in an area where the squad needs bolstering."cite news
title = Striker Folan secures Wigan move
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/6302089.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-01-26
accessdate = 2007-01-27]

Folan played his first Premiership match for Wigan against Reading on 30 January 2007, [cite web|title=Tactical Formation|work=Football-Lineups.com
url=http://www.football-lineups.com/wiki/_match3672.php | accessdate=February 7 | accessyear=2007] and on 21 February, scored his first goal for the club, an equaliser against Watford.cite news
title = Watford 1-1 Wigan
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6371327.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-02-21
accessdate = 2007-08-04] On 3 March he scored the winner away against Manchester City.cite news
title = Man City 0-1 Wigan
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6392445.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-03-03
accessdate = 2007-08-04]

Hull City revealed their interest in Folan in August 2007.cite news
title = Tigers tracking Okocha and Folan
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/6967344.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-08-28
accessdate = 2007-08-28] However, Wigan manager Chris Hutchings said he was not looking to sell.cite news
title = Wigan want to keep Folan
url = http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_2693265,00.html
publisher = Sky Sports
date = 2007-08-29
accessdate = 2007-08-29] On 31 August 2007 Folan eventually did return to Hull City for a fee of £1 million, a record fee for the club .cite news
title = Hull break record to land Folan
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/6972013.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-08-31
accessdate = 2007-08-31] Speaking on Hull City's official website, he insisted he was not going to let the price tag pile pressure onto him and that he had arrived at the club to score goals.cite news
title = Folan Will Concentrate On Football
url = http://www.hullcityafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10338~1103174,00.html
publisher = Hull City AFC
date = 2007-08-31
accessdate = 2007-09-02]

On his debut for Hull against Blackpool in September, Folan was taken to hospital after being stretchered off the pitch wearing a neck brace.cite news
title = Blackpool 2-1 Hull
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/6963691.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-09-03
accessdate = 2007-09-03] He was kept overnight at Victoria Hospital in Blackpool.cite news
title = Folan recovering from head injury
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/6977624.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-09-04
accessdate = 2007-09-04] An ankle injury caused him to miss several more matches,cite news
title = Brown backs Folan to shine
url = http://www.hullcityafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10338~1156990,00.html
publisher = Hull City OWS
date = 2007-11-05
accessdate = 2008-03-11] and in March 2008 he incurred a three match ban after being sent off in a game against Burnley.cite news
title = Hull 2-0 Burnley
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7272644.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-03-04
accessdate = 2008-03-11] He returned however to score several goals from the bench during Hull City's successful run-in. On the first day of the FA Premier League season, Hull City played their first ever game in that league against Fulham FC, Folan came on as a substitute and scored the winner as it ended in a 2-1 victory for Hull City

International career

On 15 March he earned a call up for the Republic of Ireland squad, qualifying through his Irish born grandparents after receiving his Irish passport the day earlier. The decision to call up Folan was greeted with disappointment by many Irish supporters, not because of Folan's undoubted ability but due to the fact that the national team management was considered to continue to overlook Irish strikers in favour of foreigners with tenuous links to the country. Folan eventually was forced to pull out of the squad due to injury. He was later selected to play for Republic of Ireland XI against Nottingham Forest and was subsequently added to the senior squad for the World Cup qualifier against Cyprus having scored the first goal in a 2-0 win.cite news
title = Keogh comes in for injured Folan
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/6456103.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-03-18
accessdate = 2007-08-04]

References

External links

* [http://www.hullcityafc.net/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10338~19954,00.html Caleb Folan player profile] at hullcityafc.net
* [http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10429~19954,00.html Caleb Folan player profile] at wiganlatics.co.uk
* [http://www.icons.com/folan/ Caleb Folan official website] at Icons.com
*soccerbase|id=28492|name=Caleb Folan